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‘Left-Behind’ Parents Head to Washington as Child Abduction Bill Taken Up by House Committee

Efforts to bring home American children abducted to overseas destinations and wrongfully held, will take a big step forward Thursday as legislation authored by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees human rights, will be brought before the full Foreign Affairs Committee for a vote.

More than 1,000 children are abducted out of the country every year, and less than half are returned within a year, and many never return. According to the U.S. Department of State, between the years 2008 and 2012, bereaved, left‑behind parents like Elias and Goldman reported over 4,800 abduction cases involving more than 7,000 children.